€80m for European deeptech startups
Amadeus Capital Partners and APEX Ventures have launched an €80 million fund to support deeptech early-stage startups, predominantly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The Amadeus APEX Technology Fund has had a first close of €28m and has made its first investment in German space tech company OKAPI:Orbits.
The fund will initially invest between €1-1.5m in seed and series A stage deep tech ventures with unique and defendable technology. Investments will be made in sectors that include artificial intelligence and machine learning; quantum technologies and photonics; mobility and space innovation; autonomous systems and robotics, and other emerging deep tech areas.
“Major technological breakthroughs are occurring at an accelerated pace with profound changes to our lives and society, and more talent is gravitating towards purpose-driven ideas. In the last couple of years, the world has seen significant breakthroughs in response to crises, and deep tech entrepreneurs have seen these crises as an opportunity. History repeatedly shows that the most successful ventures are born out of these times,” said Anne Glover, CEO and Co-Founder at Amadeus.
“Our partnership with APEX Ventures will enable more early-stage deep tech startups to access the support and knowledge they need to scale and see their technology positively impact the world,” she added.
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Andreas Riegler, Founding Partner of APEX Ventures, added, “Today’s startups need more support from their investors, and deep tech businesses, in particular, must have investors that go beyond capital, sharing expertise and knowledge that supports the founders and team to grow. By combining our expertise with the Amadeus team in this fund, we hope to have a significant impact on the European deep tech ecosystem.”
Amadeus has a long track record of backing technology entrepreneurs, from early stages in the UK to global growth in Europe and Latin America, focusing on AI & machine learning, cyber security, digital health/medtech, fintech, insurtech, enterprise software and semiconductors/hardware. It was co-founded by Hermann Hauser, founder of Acorn and ARM.
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APEX Ventures focuses on early-stage companies and has invested in more than 40 deep tech ventures across the fields of AI for medical applications, quantum and laser technologies, automation and robotics, computer vision, space technologies, and medical technology.
The fund’s investment committee includes Amadeus’ Glover and Hauser and APEX Partners Andreas Riegler and Wolfgang Neubert.
Wolfgang Neubert, General Partner of APEX Ventures, commented, “We know there is a growing deep tech opportunity in Europe, and the DACH region is an excellent breeding ground for innovation. 30 per cent of the top European universities are located here. When combined, the per capita number of patents filed across Switzerland, Germany, and Austria tops the rest of Europe. The region has the largest developer pool, with over one million people. But deep tech funding in Europe is still scarce, which presents a great opportunity for APEX and Amadeus to collaborate with this fund and scale more great European deep tech companies.”
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